My friends and I have a lottery syndicate that we’ve been doing for a few years. We each get one ticket where we choose our own numbers, and pool the money together. I’ve always been responsible for buying the tickets, but I asked someone else to do it going forward.
My friend volunteered to do the tickets, and we sent our numbers into the group chat for him. A week later, he asked us to pay him back. I asked if we had any luck, and he said unfortunately not. I then asked if any of our numbers got close, and he said that he didn’t want to enter all our numbers and just bought lucky dips.
I told him that’s fine, but don’t expect me to pay him back because he can’t follow basic instructions. He said that’s ridiculous and that the odds are similar either way. I told him that if I went to a restaurant and didn’t get what I ordered, I wouldn’t pay the bill. He said that’s a dumb comparison and that I should get over it.
We then checked what the numbers were and none of the numbers we sent him won anything. I told him it doesn’t matter and that the principle is the same. Obviously I can afford to pay him, but I don’t think he deserves anything.
My other friends in the syndicate say I’m making something out of nothing, but I don’t see why I should pay anything.
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My friends and I have a lottery syndicate that we’ve been doing for a few years. We each get one ticket where we choose our own numbers, and pool the money together. I’ve always been responsible for buying the tickets, but I asked someone else to do it going forward.
My friend volunteered to do the tickets, and we sent our numbers into the group chat for him. A week later, he asked us to pay him back. I asked if we had any luck, and he said unfortunately not. I then asked if any of our numbers got close, and he said that he didn’t want to enter all our numbers and just bought lucky dips.
I told him that’s fine, but don’t expect me to pay him back because he can’t follow basic instructions. He said that’s ridiculous and that the odds are similar either way. I told him that if I went to a restaurant and didn’t get what I ordered, I wouldn’t pay the bill. He said that’s a dumb comparison and that I should get over it.
We then checked what the numbers were and none of the numbers we sent him won anything. I told him it doesn’t matter and that the principle is the same. Obviously I can afford to pay him, but I don’t think he deserves anything.
My other friends in the syndicate say I’m making something out of nothing, but I don’t see why I should pay anything.
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> 1) the action I took was not paying him back
2) people think I’m the asshole because he paid the money on my behalf and I’m not paying him
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Contest mode is 1.5 hours long on this post.
NTA
You pay for x numbers in that syndicate
i get your annoyance but there was equally no guarantee that if he had gone with the initial plan it would have pulled through. It’s ok to be pissed
nta you ask for a and they bring you b . Hi not make the work well.
NTA. He played number other than the ones you asked him to. He couldn’t be bothered to do it right, his own fault he doesn’t get paid.
NTA. I would just buy my own ticket only from now on if I were you though. Honestly it wouldn’t end well if there was a big win either because the purchaser/holder of the ticket won even if you picked the numbers.
NTA. If your numbers had won the big jackpot would he have paid you money? I don’t think so. He’s a jerk
You are making something out of nothing because your numbers won nothing.
Pay up, as you did get what you ordered: the same 1/10000000000000 chance and you won the same amount (nothing).
Your analogy with the restaurant does not hold up. That is like asking your friend to pick up a burger from MacDonalds A, only he went to MacDonalds B and got the identical burger that is the same.
You did not get anything totally different… It’s just that he used a different process to deliver the exact same result.
But going forward… you have a point if you refuse to play along.
This will lead to tears if your numbers actually win something and he won’t pay out. Or if the numbers he picked (but did not tell) win something and he tells you you won nothing.
ESH
He’s the Asshole for not following instructions but you’d also be the asshole for not refunding him for a thing he did buy for the group (allbeit incorrectly)
I’d pay him and then kick him out of the group. But I wouldn’t just steal from him because he did something incorrectly. He still spent the money, you still would have split the winnings if a ticket won.
Put it thus way, if one of the lucky dips had won a million dollars, would you have rejected your share because it wasn’t your preferred numbers? Doubtful.
(Edit typos)
INFO: If the random numbers he bought had actually won, would you be refusing your share of the winnings because they weren’t your numbers?
Yta
This is inexcusable except for two scenarios:
If you would’ve shared in the winnings, had they been winners, you have to pay for the ticket (this is what lotto is). The “only pay if i win” lotto ticket is the most insane idea ever, even if it was just lotto who you owed the money to – this goes from insane to sociopathic due to it being your friend who you owe money to (and I’m assuming it Is in the realm of 5-10 bucks). I would never be friends with someone again if they did this – the fact that you don’t know that it is bad, is a problem in itself. Your friends are being nice to you when they tell you they think you are making a mountain out of a molehill – they likely think much worse in their heads.
Did the numbers you give him win? Likely not, so same exact result, except he has been fucked over in your twisted version. I really don’t think that matters either way though – the odds are exactly the same and it is just as random, and it is likely just $5 to not cause a problem with your friend (why create friction with a friend over something so petty? Even if you were barely right in this situation, which I don’t think you are, why not choose friendship? Where is your perspective?). It is a total arsehole move – imagine if all the times you bought them everyone waited until after to pay you to see if they win or not (and make up some bizarre reason as to why it was your fault they lost). Also, if you went to buy them and realised you left the numbers at home, do you really think you should be expected to go back home, before buying them (maybe spending extra money on transport and petrol, and time and effort – who wants to go to the newsagent multiple times in one day)? No, it would be totally insane, considering any choice of number is the same as all the others. You should just be grateful he also volunteered to do this for the group (I’m sure he will think twice before volunteering to do friends a favour, next time- congratulations on making the world a better place). I would kick you off the team for this.
If I were him, even if you changed your mind and paid me, I would still have a hard time forgiving/forgetting the initial refusal. My only advice is to be extremely apologetic and tell him you must’ve lost your mind for a brief moment, you have no explanation for your initial response, and here is the money – I could forgive this.
This is obviously rage bait and never happened – got me! Thanks for the space to vent/short term entertainment and have a nice day
ESH
He was wrong to change what was bought, but you still received a chance to win with the expected number of entries, so your correct move would be to pay for this round and then not participate in the pool in the future if you don’t like his method.
Info: why don’t you all just buy your own tickets? 🥲
Sure you’re upset. Probably shouldn’t pool your money though. If there’s a big win not everyone is going to share equally. NTA
YTA this is your friend, not a restaurant.
I totally get ur point, like, if he didn’t follow the instructions, that’s on him. But also, it’s just a lottery, the chances are so slim anyway, I’d just pay him and get it over with. It’s not about the money, it’s about the principle, but at the end of the day, it’s not worth the tension. If u can afford it, I’d just let it slide, but make sure next time u make it clear how the ticket should be bought.
NTA for the argument but pay him back for the tickets and don’t do any business with him moving forward. It’s not hard to put the correct numbers on a ticket and he really tempted fate with his decision. If your numbers had won the jackpot this story would be the background for a murder trial!
You’re an asshole and your comparison to a restaurant meal is idiotic. The numbers used don’t change the odds, and If any of the tickets he bought won, you know damn well you would have expected a payout. Pay him what you owe him you fucking cheap ass leech. Why are you even referring to him as a friend when you’re not treating him as one.
ESH. He shouldn’t have changed the rules without getting everyone’s buy-in, but you also need to pay him what you’d agreed to. He bought based on the agreement he’d get paid back by everyone else. Your restaurant analogy doesn’t work because at a restaurant there’s an option to have what you did order made for you and then you pay for it.
It’s more like if you worked for X amount but then your boss decided you’d only be paid the lesser amount of Y. There’s no taking back the time you spent working just like there’s no way for the tickets to be returned for a refund. Pay this time and if you still want to play going forward buy tickets only for yourself. The cost to your friendships would be much higher than your share of the tickets.
NTA…Your syndicate has been running for years by choosing your own numbers. I assume that when your friend took over the purchasing of the tickets, he was aware of this. He chose to change the process without asking if it was ok. You did not agree to his process. Technically, you should not have to pay for the ticket.
But, I would pay for it, since there was a ticket that you could have possibly won from and then decide if you still want to be in this syndicate any longer or not.
Pay him, but never let him be in charge of the lottery again.
If it won you would want the prize, so even though it did not play out as you expected, yes YTA.
ESH, just pay up and also never trust him again
YTA…follow up on your commitment. Then quit playing. I wouldn’t even be your friend for ripping me off.
ESH Him, because he should have done it properly or not done it at all. You, because if one of his lucky dips had won I doubt you would have had the same attitude and told him you have nothing to do with the money as those weren’t your numbers.
This is a disaster waiting to happen. Just buy your own tickets from now on. There is no good outcome waiting for you if you continue buying tickets together, win or lose.
YTA. If he entered bought tickets, he did the basic job and you had the same chance as winning as if he picked your numbers. So you have to pay him back, even though he did the job badly.
However, a normal person would just say that, in future, you want to only use the numbers that you request. The obvious benefit of this is that you know your numbers and you can check against them… and, of course, if they came up and you got a lucky dip you’d forever hold a grudge!
Once you’ve clarified that your numbers must be used, then if someone does a lucky dip instead then they will become TA and you should leave the syndicate.
Esh
It definitely sucks, if you would’ve with your numbers, thatd be a total pissoff and i would refuse to pay aswell
But it’s not like your keeping every lottery ticket framed on your wall, you are making something out of nothing
Pay out this time but tell them you won’t pay if they are too lazy to pick the numbers again
ESH. Pay him back and kick him out of the group. I guarantee you that if his gamble paid off, you’d want the proceeds and not just a refund. Suddenly your principles would go out the door. Let’s not pretend this is anything other than you trying to find an out from taking an L despite your number not even being drawn.
ESH. Without your given numbers where is proof it was a pool? And if you can’t prove it was a pool what is the guarantee he’d pay you from numbers you did not choose? He can easily say they were his numbers and if they won keep all of the winnings. Just as easily to say it was the pool money that lost.
Pay but go back to buying your own ticket
Esh. Pay him and do it online in the future.